I may be 18, but I'm never too old for an advent calendar.
Squeezing it into my tiny suitcase as I pack to head home from uni, there are a few things I've had to sacrifice for this small symbol that Christmas is coming and it's time for the festivities to start.
Everywhere seems to have caught the bug. Even as I sit getting my hair done, girls are having shiney bits of tinsel and festive colours fused into their glossy locks.
The town has been transformed into a winter wonderland, trees and lights and seasonal offers in shop windows tempting fellow Christmas lovers to spend their Christmas money before it's even seen their bank account.
Couples really come into their own during this festive time. Gloved hands in a finger embrace floating down the road on the cloud. I'm not pessimistic, that was me a few months ago. I'm just honest.... It's a tad cliche.
Surrounded by couples and sporting my new 'do'; my friend and I sit sipping Christmas flavoured coffee and talking Sex and the City style.
This is my first Christmas being single in a while and I think I like it. No need to fork out my hard earned wages to get a present. No one telling me how I should spend my New Years and no uncomfortable extra Christmas at the beau's family home.
This Christmas will be different.
